Opposition leader Vijay Wadettiwar accused the Devendra Fadnavis government of a Rs 70 crore 'Furniture scam' in the tribal sector. He also demanded a high-level investigation into the matter.

On Monday, Wadettiwar told journalists that a tender was passed to purchase furniture for two lakh children staying in 502 ashrams, and for 58,000 students staying in hostels across the state. Items such as iron beds, chairs and table were to be purchased.

A tender worth Rs 345 crore was passed for Amravati, Nagpur, Thane and Nashik. For Amravati and Nagpur, the consignment was given to Spacewood company, while for Nashik and Thane, the work was assigned to Godrej company.

However, Wadettiwar alleged that Godrej charged double the rates for furniture of the same quality as Spacewood.

Why was the contract given to a company that charged twice the actual cost?

As per tender laws in India, the tender presented by only that organisation should be accepted which quotes the lowest rates. Then why was the company which quoted twice the rates presented by Spacewood given the contract?

Wadettiwar said that in Amravati, where on one hand, Spacewood has charged Rs 5,734 for an iron bed, Godrej has charged Rs 11,000 for the same bed. Similarly, in Amravati, Spacewood charged Rs 2,378 for one chair, whereas Godrej has quoted the chairs for Rs 6,000 in Nashik. In comparison to Amravati and Nagpur, furniture has been charged 75 to 100 per cent more in Thane and Nashik.

Wadettiwar has demanded that the contract given to Godrej be revoked, and a probe be launched looking into the matter.
When contacted by
Mirror Online, Sameer Joshi, Associate Vice President, Godrej Interio, in an official statement said, "It is well known that the Government has an electronic marketplace (GeM), where vendors list their products and the prices, in a completely transparent manner. The tender in context was floated through GeM and all the requirements to qualify for it were met by Godrej Interio. To imply any wrongdoing or collusion in this matter is incorrect and damaging to the highest standards of governance which is practiced by Godrej."